Friday, June 6, 2008

Meet Senator Frank Lautenberg, the Anti-Zimmer

Lobbyist and lawyer Dick Zimmer lives in Hunterdon County, and just became the nominee for the Republican Party for the United States Senate seat currently held by Senator Frank Lautenberg.

Mr. Zimmer has been introducing himself periodically as the “Anti-Lautenberg”.

Note to Mr. Zimmer: It’s going to be a tough sell to the voters in New Jersey that we should elect someone to the Senate other than Lautenberg.

According to Realclearpolitics.com:

“….Lautenberg's biggest benefit is his name recognition and voter perceptions that he's doing a good job. 48% approve of his job performance while 31% disapprove, and 43% view him favorably, compared with 30% who see him unfavorably. That's not a great number, but given that his name is recognized by a total of 94% of the state is a positive…

So, Zimmer's strategy is to call himself the Anti-Lautenberg? Or the Un-Lautenberg? Read on:

“In this year's Senate contest, the Democratic candidate, whoever that may be, remains a strong favorite in the Garden State. 54% of respondents said they were more likely to vote for that party, while just 24% said they would likely vote for the Republican winner.”

Although Mr. Zimmer had three decent terms in the Congress, [1] he was present for only one term [1995-1996] with the Republican Party in control, and [2] since he lost to Congressman Rush Holt, he has been working as a lobbyist. Many former elected officials are tapped as lobbyists, but it is rare for a lobbyist to be tapped as a candidate for office.

Recently on News 12’s “Power & Politics”, Lobbyist Zimmer declared that ‘age’ would not be an issue in his Senate run.

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Joey Novick

Joey Novick, founder of New Jersey:Politics Unusual, is an attorney, professional stand-up comedian, professional keynote speaker, and a former elected official in NJ. He resides in Flemington, New Jersey, where currently serves as the Chairman of the Flemington Democratic Party. He is developing a one-man show about politics and humor in the Garden State. NJPoliticsUnusual has been recognized by Campaigns & Elections and SNJ Business People. Joey appears monthly on News-12 Power & Politics, sharing his keen insights with NJ's politicians. Contact Joey at joeynovick@earthlink.net.